The next morning at 9:00, the children of the Todoroki household were all up and about. Gray and Shoto were at the dining table, eating breakfast. Natsuo and Fuyumi were both out of the house. Natsu zipped up his backpack and slung it over one shoulder. He passed through the kitchen quickly, snatching an energy bar from the counter as Rei peeked out of the kitchen.
"Heading out with Shou and Glowl for the day," he said casually, chewing through the wrapper,
Rei smiled gently. "Be safe, and stop biting through the wrapper to open it."
"Yeah, yeah."
In the living room, Shoto looked up from the dining table. He checked the time again "You're leaving early."
"Yeah, we're just hanging out." Natsu didn't stop walking as he slipped on his sneakers by the door. He tried to be nonchalant.
Gray put the paper down and stared at Natsu. "You're being weird. What are you up to?"
"Nothing…"
"…You kinda are," Gray muttered, but didn't push.
Shoto just looked at him.
"Try not to get arrested," Gray shot back half-seriously before returning to his paper.
But Natsu was already gone.
"And dont forget to call if yo-" Rei appeared with a thermos.
"He already left." Shoto replied.
"That boy… always in a rush."
–
The train station buzzed with the usual morning bustle, clacking footsteps, boarding announcements echoing overhead, and the distant hum of engines idling on the tracks.
Natsu stood near the far end of Platform 3, relaxed and backpack slung lightly over his shoulder. The crisp morning air made him bounce slightly on his heels, mostly from excitement.
Shou arrived next, lugging a plain black duffel bag and wearing a dark windbreaker. "You sure you're ready for this?" he asked, eyeing Natsu with a half-serious, half-resigned look.
"I've never been more sure," Natsu replied, eyes steady.
Glowl came jogging up a minute later, slightly out of breath, with a drawstring bag across his back and his signature mismatched goggles hanging around his neck. "Train to Matsuzaki departs at fifteen. That's the closest rural stop with weird scanner traffic last night. Its a small rural coastal town."
Shou nodded and reached into his bag. "You should suit up in the train, before we get off the train. Rural or not, you don't want to be recognized."
He handed Natsu the gear from the night before: the black turtleneck, fitted pants, the gray high-top sneakers, and finally, the ski-mask-style beanie.
Natsu took them, clutching the clothes tightly.
"You really want to do this," Glowl said, more like a statement than a question. "You've always looked out for us… stopped guys twice our size without even flinching."
"We got your back," Shou added, his voice soft but firm. "Just… don't make us regret this, yeah?"
Natsu gave them a small, serious nod. "I won't. I promise."
The overhead speaker called for boarding, and the three exchanged a look before stepping onto the train, no turning back now.
The soft rumble of the train echoed through the mostly empty car as the trio settled in. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the faded blue seats.
Natsu was gone for a few minutes, having slipped into the tiny restroom near the back of the car to change. When he reappeared, he had the black turtleneck pulled snug over his frame, dark pants tucked into clean Gray high-top sneakers. The ski-mask-style beanie was tugged low over his forehead covering his crimson hair but left his face visible for now.
Glowl glanced up from his phone and let out a low whistle. "Dude… I can see this working. If I didn't know you, I probably wouldn't recognize you.."
Natsu smirked but didn't reply. He just dropped into the seat across from them and leaned back, arms crossed, eyes flicking out the window to the passing countryside.
"The train should hit Matsuzaki Town in about forty minutes," Glowl said, scrolling on his phone. "It's a coastal village, small, quiet, only like six thousand people. They do have a hero office, but it's not very often something happens. They also don't do a lot of patrolling. So we're less likely to get spotted."
Shou leaned against the window, arms folded behind his head. "Still doesn't mean we can be careless. If anything looks off, we bolt. No hero license, remember? This is just recon unless something obvious shows up."
"Got it," Natsu muttered, barely listening. He didn't need to say he was excited, it was plain on his face. His usual carefree expression had tightened into something sharper, more focused. But every so often, his foot bounced, or his gaze lit up at the thought of a real fight.
He didn't even try to hide it.
"I swear, it's like he's vibrating with anticipation," Glowl mumbled under his breath.
Shou shook his head. "Anymore and he will probably melt through the train…"
But Natsu didn't retort. He just kept his eyes on the window, watching the city give way to long stretches of green hills and glinting ocean in the distance.
-
The train hissed as it came to a stop, its brakes letting out a high-pitched whine that echoed across the quiet platform. The boys stepped off one by one, backpacks slung over their shoulders. The air in Matsuzaki Town was warm and thick with the scent of the nearby sea. Salt and sun, with a faint breeze carrying seagull calls through the air.
Natsu took a deep breath, stretching his arms up high. "Man… this place feels different."
"Smells like fish," Glowl muttered, wrinkling his nose.
"Because it's a fishing town," Shou replied flatly, eyeing the old wooden dock down the street. "Don't act surprised."
The streets were quiet, a few elderly folks shuffling by, a cyclist delivering groceries, and the occasional shop owner sweeping their storefront. The town was nestled between forested hills and a curving coastline, with narrow alleys and wooden buildings that looked like they hadn't changed in decades.
"Alright," Glowl said, pointing to his phone. "There's a place just two blocks down called Seaside Grill. Cheap rice bowls and large servings and I hear it's super good. Let's get something to eat."
Natsu's stomach growled in response.
They headed toward the restaurant, the sound of their footsteps clapping softly on the brick pavement. The Seaside Grill was a cozy little place tucked on the corner of a quiet street — sliding doors, old lanterns swinging in the breeze, and a chalkboard menu leaning by the entrance.
Inside, the restaurant was half-lit, dim and warm with low chatter from two older fishermen and a waitress behind the counter. They grabbed a booth near the back.
Each of them ordered rice bowls — fried mackerel for Glowl, chicken katsu for Shou, and a nice salmon rice bowl for Natsu.
"So…" Glowl said between bites. "I checked the local chatterboards on my way here. Nothing big has been reported lately. But last week, there were a couple weird posts about people seeing 'masked guys' near the edge of town. Could be nothing. Could be something."
Natsu's eyes flickered with interest. "Where?"
"An abandoned lot near the cliffs. Locals think it's just teens being weird, but someone said they saw a weird glow coming from there late at night. Hero patrols haven't picked anything up yet."
Shou leaned forward. "So, either it's just dumb kids with flashlights, or it's actually something."
Natsu nodded slowly, fingers tapping the table. "Let's check it out after this."
Glowl nodded.
The waitress refilled their water glasses without comment, and the boys finished their meals in relative silence. Once they were done. They paid and quietly left the restaurant.
-
The wooden door to Seaside Grill creaked as the trio stepped back out into the open air. It was the middle of the day, and it was nice and warm in Matsuzaki Town. The scent of saltwater had grown stronger, mingling with the distant aroma of grilled seafood and incense from nearby homes.
Natsu walked with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his head turning slowly as he took in the sleepy coastal town. Wooden homes lined the streets, most two stories with tile roofs and wind chimes swaying at the corners. A small harbor sat to the north, with boats bobbing quietly against the dock. It was peaceful, too peaceful.
"Weird being somewhere this quiet," Natsu muttered, kicking a loose stone as they walked.
"That's the point," Glowl replied, pulling out his police scanner radio from his backpack.
"Keep your voice down," Shou said. "If anyone hears that, we're done for."
"No one's even paying attention to us," Glowl shrugged. "And the range is short. Just picking up local patrols and emergency calls."
They took a slow route through town, walking along the beachside road and heading toward the cliffs Glowl had mentioned earlier. They passed a vending machine humming outside a tiny inn, an elderly couple sitting on their porch drinking tea, and a black cat weaving through the legs of a parked scooter.
The police scanner buzzed occasionally, mostly mundane chatter.
"Routine patrol on Highway 235, traffic clear, over."
"Family dispute near Minami street, no quirk usage reported, officer en route."
"False alarm on smoke detection in the Kura district, disregard."
Each time, Natsu's eyes would flick toward Glowl, but the boy would just shake his head, listening with his brow furrowed.
Shou sighed, slinging his backpack higher. "At this rate we'll get nothing."
"Patience," Glowl muttered, holding the device closer. "Villains don't exactly tell us when they attack"
"I wish they did," Natsu grumbled,
"I think I saw a YoTube video of a guy who did. Gentle something?" Shou pondered. The video barely had any views, but the guy looked funny so Shou remembered it.
Natsu just stayed quiet, he was starting to enjoy the calm. Sort of. The salt wind brushed through his bangs beneath his beanie, and he tilted his head back to look at the sky. A few scattered clouds and the bluest sky with the ocean in front of him.
"Let's keep heading uphill," Glowl said, nodding to the path leading toward the cliffs. "If anything goes down, we'll be in a good vantage point."
They followed the winding path, gravel crunching beneath their sneakers as the town grew smaller behind them. Natsu remained quiet, his expression focused but calm. Glowl was glued to the scanner. Shou occasionally glanced back toward the town.
And the static buzzed again.
A voice crackled through, lower, sharper, hurried:
"...unregistered quirk activity reported—Zone C, perimeter unknown. No heroes on duty—dispatch notified."
Glowl stopped walking.
"That's us," he said quietly.
Natsu's eyes gleamed. "Finally."
Shou let out a long sigh. "Okay, good luck. "
"Zone C… that's near the fishing district," Glowl said, already pulling out a folded paper map from his back pocket. "South of the harbor. Narrow roads, warehouses, cold storage buildings… low traffic."
Natsu stepped beside them, posture instantly alert.
"Let's go," he said.
They moved quickly but cautiously, ducking past streets lined with fish markets and shuttered storefronts. The town's calm remained, locals milled about unaware, some sitting under awnings or chatting outside shops. But the boys kept to the side roads, following the trail of the signal like a hound after a scent.
The further south they walked, the fewer people they saw. Buildings became older, less maintained. The scent of fish intensified near the cold storage blocks. Rust crept up the sides of metal walls. Broken crates littered alleyways.
Glowl checked the scanner again. The signal had faded, but the last ping placed the incident just past a set of long-abandoned sheds near the edge of the docks.
Shou muttered under his breath, "I don't like this. No backup. No heroes. Just us."
"That's all I need," Natsu said, slipping ahead of them.
He didn't run, but his pace was faster. The excitement hadn't faded from his face, but now it was tempered with something more intense. A drive.
They reached the end of the road, a cul-de-sac surrounded by low warehouses. One building in particular had a huge dent in its metal side, like something had exploded outward. A few scorch marks dotted the concrete nearby.
Natsu crouched down, brushing his fingers against the burn marks. They were fresh. Still warm.
"Explosion... what caused it?" he murmured.
Glowl approached quietly, lowering his voice. "That scanner only picks up police comms. If this was serious enough to get logged, someone saw something, or someone's already running."
"Which means they might still be close," Shou added, starting to get a little afraid.
Natsu stood, eyes narrowing at the alley between two warehouses.
He didn't say anything, but the glint in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Finally.."